She adds that residents in her program gain much-needed experience leading a care team, which prepares them to be leaders in the communities where they'll practice. Family Medicine residents work in a rural community clinic and the hospital in Eau Claire, giving them an opportunity to establish care with patients at all stages of life, from pediatrics to obstetrics to geriatrics.

Before new residents begin working with patients, they participate in a Family Medicine Experience training to review the basics of being a physician, along with team-building activities designed to set them up for success. Family Medicine residents typically focus their research on quality and process improvement to advance patient care and clinic efficiency.

Ensuring quality healthcare

Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire's approach to family medicine and community health attracted Avneesh Sachdev, M.B., B.Ch., to the program. He says he wants to work in underserved communities, "striving to bridge the gap and ensure that all individuals receive the quality care they deserve."

Dr. Sachdev thought a residency at Mayo Clinic would be little more than a dream.

The Ontario native knew from an early age that he wanted to pursue a medical career after seeing some of his family members struggle with health issues and later volunteering at his local hospital. He attended college in Canada before completing his medical studies in Ireland. As an international medical graduate, he worried that matching to a Mayo Clinic residency program was a long shot. But in 2023, Dr. Sachdev was thrilled to learn he was accepted to a month-long Visiting Medical Student Clerkship at Mayo Clinic through the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. He calls the experience "remarkably transformative."

Now that Dr. Sachdev has begun his training with Dr. Nordin and the Family Medicine Residency Program, he says there is no place he would rather be.